History
Little is known about the history of Torres Novas prior to the conquest of the city from the Arabs in 1148 by Don Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal. It is assumed that several peoples called the area home, including the Greeks, Romans, Celts and Arabs. The Roman presence is well established based on the ruins at Vila CardÃlio.
The castle, which had fallen into ruin, was rebuilt in 1190 by Sancho I. The castle was further rebuilt by Ferdinand I in 1376. The city grew up directly around the castle.
The city was surrounded by walls until the 16th century when it began to expand beyond its historical boundaries. The original walls were demolished during the 19th century.
Read more about this topic: Torres Novas Municipality
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“All history and art are against us, but we still expect happiness in love.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“When the coherence of the parts of a stone, or even that composition of parts which renders it extended; when these familiar objects, I say, are so inexplicable, and contain circumstances so repugnant and contradictory; with what assurance can we decide concerning the origin of worlds, or trace their history from eternity to eternity?”
—David Hume (1711–1776)
“There has never been in history another such culture as the Western civilization M a culture which has practiced the belief that the physical and social environment of man is subject to rational manipulation and that history is subject to the will and action of man; whereas central to the traditional cultures of the rivals of Western civilization, those of Africa and Asia, is a belief that it is environment that dominates man.”
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